Meeting of medical minds as pioneering degree moves a step closer

27 March 2014

Press Office

East Lancashire is set to play a crucial role in the development of a new medical degree programme being launched by the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan).

The self-funded undergraduate medical degree programme will be based within UCLan’s School of Medicine and Dentistry from September 2014, with spaces on the five-year Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MB BS) programme for 35 international and self-funded students.

At a special launch event, held at UCLan’s Burnley Campus on Wednesday, 26 March, senior members of UCLan’s MB BS programme team outlined their exciting development plans to local education providers (both secondary and primary care) as well as interested parties across the local health economy, including patient groups, public health representatives, local councillors and MPs. All participants were able to pose questions about the programme and its influence and impact on the region’s health economy.

"Developing a medical degree is not only about training the doctors of the future. It is about bringing together the wide and varied members of the health service workforce and developing together."

UCLan’s Professor StJohn Crean, Dean, School of Medicine and Dentistry, said: “Developing a medical degree is not only about training the doctors of the future. It is about bringing together the wide and varied members of the health service workforce and developing together.

“Last night’s event gave us the opportunity to provide an update on the programme’s development to all those in East Lancashire with an interest in the local health economy. Everyone has been very supportive of our plans and last night was no different. It’s a win-win scenario; good quality graduates, coming out of a local programme that could be of long term benefit to a region where there are significant health inequalities."

UCLan will work in partnership with East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust (ELHT) which will provide the majority of clinical placements, with Lancashire Care Foundation NHS Trust, Lancashire Teaching Hospitals Foundation NHS Trust with Bridgewater Community Healthcare NHS Trust providing the remainder. Primary care placements will be provided in local General Medical Practices and community settings servicing the significant health needs across East Lancashire.

"East Lancashire Hospitals has a longstanding tradition of providing high quality medical student training. We are really excited about ELHT becoming a University Teaching Hospital associated with UCLan."

Dr Damien Lynch, Director of Undergraduate Education at East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “East Lancashire Hospitals has a longstanding tradition of providing high quality medical student training. We are really excited about ELHT becoming a University Teaching Hospital associated with UCLan and see this development as vitally important for the health economy. It will raise the profile of East Lancashire in many ways and is an excellent opportunity for recruitment across all disciplines and specialties.”